The biggest task before the newly appointed Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh Brig B.D. Mishra is to deal with the ongoing agitation in the cold desert as agitating groups are adamant to hold a protest in Delhi on February 15.
As part of their ongoing agitation Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) have given a call to 'Chalo Delhi' on February 15 to highlight their demands.
The shifting of Radha Krishna Mathur as Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh amid ongoing agitation is a clear indication that the Union Government is very serious to solve the issues of Ladakh by pacifying erring groups.
Sources said that the Ladakh administration has failed to engage the agitating groups in the dialogue process and it was due to the failure of the UT administration that ongoing agitation has intensified.
Union Home Ministry is exploring all options to resume dialogue with the warring groups in Ladakh, the leaders of two frontline organisations—Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) and Leh Apex Body (LAB)—have given "Delhi Chalo" call and decided to hold strong protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on February 15.
Ladakh groups agitating for statehood, and other demands.
The KDA and the LAB have been spearheading the agitation in support of their four major demands including full-fledged statehood for Ladakh, implementation of the Sixth Schedule to protect the interest of the tribal people of Ladakh, separate Lok Sabha seats for Kargil and Leh, and establishment of 'Ladakh Public Service Commission' with the Ladakh Resident Certificate (LRC) as a mandatory requirement for all Gazetted Posts in Ladakh.
On January 15, prominent leaders belonging to KDA and LAB had staged a strong protest here in Jammu as part of a campaign to press for their four demands.
They had decided to stay away from the High-Powered Committee (HPC) constituted by the Ministry of Home Affairs as the government, they alleged, ignored their four-point agenda and also paid no heed to their suggestion about the composition of the panel.
Except for BJP, all political parties have joined the stir. The BJP, which rules Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Leh, stayed away from the agitational programme in Ladakh.
The BJP has distanced itself from the LAB as well as KDA on the ground that the grant of Union Territory was a major demand of Ladakhis, which was accepted by the Central Government on August 5, 2019.
A committee was constituted to safeguard land, and jobs in Ladakh
On January 3, Union Home Ministry has constituted a high-powered committee to discuss land and employment safeguards for the Union Territory of Ladakh. The committee will be headed by Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai.
"It has been decided to constitute a high-powered committee (HPC) under the chairmanship of Nityanand Rai, Minister of State for Home Affairs, for the Union Territory of Ladakh," reads the Home Ministry order.
The committee has been set up to discuss measures to protect Ladakh's unique culture and language taking into consideration its geographical location and its strategic importance.
The committee will also discuss measures to ensure the protection of land and employment for the people of Ladakh, the order states.
The committee will discuss measures for inclusive development, employment generation in the region, and empowerment of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council Leh and Kargil.
The 17-member committee has Ladakh Lieutenant Governor RK Mathur, MP Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, Chairmen of Leh and Kargil Hill councils, representatives of the Leh Apex Body, Kargil Democratic Alliance, and nominee officials of the Home Ministry as its members.
Civil society and political groups in Ladakh have been demanding inclusion under the sixth schedule of the Constitution to protect the land, employment, and cultural identity of Ladakh after the Government of India abrogated Article 370 and bifurcated the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir into two UTs—J&K and Ladakh—on August 5 August 2019.
